The 5A Arriva bus service from Leicester to Melton is facing sever cutbacks after Leicestershire  County Council has withdrawn funding for other services.

According to the Leicester Mercury “On one route, the 5 and 5A between Leicester and Melton, all late-evening, Sunday and bank holiday Monday buses will be cut.”

A statement from Arriva says:

As part of the cuts in public spending, Leicestershire County Council has informed Arriva Midlands that they intend to reduce the money paid to bus operators to carry the elderly free of charge from April 2012. Arriva Midlands is now aware that its payments will be reduced by £700,000.

This follows Central Government’s decision to increase the tax on fuel used by bus operators, also from April of this year, which has meant that Arriva’s fuel costs have increased by 42% since last year.

Regional Managing Director Bob Hind said “We can’t continue to pass these costs on to our customers by increasing fares and we cannot afford to run journeys that no one uses. We have tried to keep the cuts to a minimum and will continue to operate evening and Sunday services throughout Leicester without subsidy. We know that Leicestershire County Council are already discussing further reductions in the money they use to run rural bus services so nowhere is immune to the reductions in funding.”

Arriva Midlands has undertaken a comprehensive review of its network and has announced changes to several local bus services in the Leicester area following discussions with local authorities. The changes will be introduced from Sunday 10 June 2012.

Here are the changes – see how they will affect you:

Service 5: Leicester – Thurmaston – East Goscote – Melton Mowbray
Service 5A: Leicester – Thurmaston – Rearsby – Melton Mowbray
Melton Mowbray will no longer be served by late evening or Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday buses, there are also some minor timing changes to daytime buses to improve punctuality.

This means that the last bus back from Leicester to Melton, Monday to Friday, will leave the Haymarket bus station at 19.25. The last bus from Melton to Leicester will leave Wilton Road at 19.15. There will be no 5A bus service serving Melton and Leicester on Sundays or Bank Holidays.

Rutland & Melton Labour’s on-line co-coordinator, Rob Watson, says “I’m a regular commuter between Melton and Leicester, and the trains are already full at peak times. The last train back to Melton Leicester is only 21.15. Melton is increasingly badly served by public transport. With very poor links to Nottingham. It’s impossible to get about late in the evening unless you have a car. People living in Asfordby now have no bus service in the evenings and no bus service on Sundays. These cuts are terrible and will leave people increasingly isolated, unable to work flexibly, and unable to support the local economy.”

Tonight’s annual general meeting of Melton Borough Council should have been an occasion for reflection and renewal, when a new mayor is elected and the leader of the council gives his state of the borough address. Cllr John Illingworth was sworn in as mayor, promising to hold the ‘dignity of the office’ while speaking for everyone in Melton. Well-wishes were on everyone’s lips, but the consensus didn’t last long. This meeting wasn’t much of a honeymoon for the new mayor, instead it went straight to marriage counseling after becoming one of the most partisan council meetings in recent years.

Leader of the Tories on Melton Borough Council, Cllr Byron Rhodes, wanted to push through a series of constitutional changes that would sideline debate and discussion by axing the Overview and Scrutiny committee. The proposals were pushed through at the last full-council meeting in April, in the face of opposition from Labour Councillors, led by Cllr Matthew O’Callaghan. So when the constitutional amendments were presented as a package again to the council for ratification, it was no surprise that Labour’s Matthew O’Callaghan renewed his attack on the proposals.

Matthew pointed out that the constitution of Melton Borough Council states that

“Changes to the Constitution will only be approved by the Full Council after consideration of the proposal by the Overview, Scrutiny and Audit Committee or by the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the Chair of the Overview, Scrutiny and Audit Committee agreeing that a proposed amendment may be sent direct to Council in respect of minor or urgent amendments.”

Cllr O’Callaghan made the case that the decision to abolish the Overview and Scrutiny committee was itself unconstitutional, as it had not itself been discussed at the Overview and Scrutiny committee. According to Matthew, “Labour has no problem with abolishing any of the committees on Melton Borough Council, but there is a right way of doing things, and this is not the right way.”

Speaking for the majority Tory group, Cllr Rhodes pushed aside these concerns, suggesting that any delay to his changes are simply an opposition trick. Supported by the councils monitoring officer, the new mayor was forced to adjudicate a decision as to the validity of the motion. Taking his advice from the officers, Mayor Illingworth allowed the vote to go ahead, and the constitutional amendments were adopted eighteen votes for and eight votes against.

The next controversial issue came with the allocation of committee members, chairs and other roles. In the past, when Cllr Malise Graham was leader, this has been allocated on the basis of proportion, political balance and consensus. But Cllr Rhodes, however, has different ideas. All of the chairs of committees will be Conservative Councillors, and none of these will be Councillors who represent Melton in a town ward.

“This has become a one party council,” Labour’s Cllr O’Callaghan argued. “All opposition is being pushed aside”. There are now fifteen conservative Councillors in paid posts on Melton Borough Council. More than half of the council is paid an allowance by the Tory leader to carry out their functions. When decisions are made, it seems that Cllr Rhodes will have a firm hand behind every one of them.”This is a winner takes all council” said Cllr O’Callaghan. “Opposition is being pushed aside, and when that happens mistakes are made and decisions are taken that will later be regretted”. After another vote, eighteen for and six against, Mayor Illingworth noted that he had sympathy with many of the comments that were made in the debate and hoped that agreement could be found outside the meeting.

It seems that Melton Borough Council is now firmly split along party lines.